A SimpleTech is a type of external hard drive that was manufactured by SimpleTech Inc. from 2003 until the company was acquired by Fabrik Inc. in 2009. SimpleTech hard drives were designed to be easy-to-use, plug-and-play storage devices for home and small business users. Some key features of SimpleTech external hard drives included:
SimpleTech Inc. was founded in 2003 in Santa Ana, California. The company’s goal was to provide reliable, affordable external storage solutions for mainstream consumers and small businesses. At the time, most external hard drives were complex to install and required technical know-how to operate effectively. SimpleTech wanted to make external hard drives accessible to average users.
To achieve this goal, SimpleTech focused on three design principles for their hard drives:
- Plug-and-play functionality
- All-in-one design
- Value pricing
By optimizing around these principles, SimpleTech was able to differentiate itself from competitors and quickly gain market share in the external storage space.
Plug-and-Play Functionality
One of the hallmarks of SimpleTech drives was their plug-and-play functionality. SimpleTech hard drives were designed to be ready to use right out of the box, with no required software installation or configuration.
To enable plug-and-play use, SimpleTech drives came pre-formatted in the NTFS file system. This allowed them to be immediately recognized by Windows XP and later operating systems without needing to install drivers or reformat the drive.
SimpleTech drives connected via USB 2.0, FireWire 400, or FireWire 800 interfaces. Connection via any of these interfaces would prompt the operating system to automatically detect and install the drive with no user intervention required.
Benefits of Plug-and-Play
The plug-and-play design delivered several benefits for SimpleTech users:
- Ease of use – even computer novices could get a SimpleTech drive up and running effortlessly
- Compatibility – no special software or drivers were needed for broad OS support
- Speed – users could rapidly start transferring files without a complex setup process
By removing traditional storage barriers like difficult installation and formatting, SimpleTech opened up external hard drives to wider consumer and small business audiences.
All-In-One Design
Early external hard drives frequently relied on multiple cable connections and separate power adapters. SimpleTech drives integrated the power supply and interface cabling into a single cable harness. This gave SimpleTech drives a streamlined, all-in-one design.
Most SimpleTech drives got power through their USB or FireWire interface cable, eliminating the need for a dedicated power adapter. Some larger capacity drives used a dual USB/power cable that drew power from two USB ports to provide the necessary electrical load capacity.
Benefits of All-In-One Design
An integrated, all-in-one design enabled several advantages for SimpleTech’s products:
- Compactness – lack of extra cables reduced clutter and footprint
- Portability – single cable made drives easier to transport and move
- Reliability – fewer cables and connections meant fewer potential failure points
The all-in-one design also gave SimpleTech drives a distinctive look and feel compared to traditional external hard drives. This improved aesthetics and branding.
Value Pricing
From the start, SimpleTech aimed to make their drives affordable for mainstream consumers. Rather than competing on cutting-edge specs, SimpleTech focused on delivering good-enough performance and capacity at aggressive price points.
For example, in 2004 SimpleTech began offering a 250GB external hard drive priced at $199. Competing drives often retailed for $299 or more. Undercutting rivals let SimpleTech rapidly capture market share.
SimpleTech was able to reach these low price points via technology optimizations such as:
- Focusing on IDE drives rather than pricier SATA drives
- Using slower rotational speeds like 5400 RPM
- Thinner profit margins
While performance was not blazing fast, it met the storage needs of mainstream home and small business users at budget-friendly pricing.
Benefits of Value Pricing
Pricing drives affordably delivered several advantages for SimpleTech:
- Broader appeal – budget pricing opened external storage to wider consumer segments
- Brand growth – value pricing was a key factor in SimpleTech’s rapid rise in market share
- Improved loyalty – customers were more likely to buy again after a positive first purchase experience
Affordability made SimpleTech a go-to option for price-conscious shoppers looking for external storage.
What Could SimpleTech Drives Be Used For?
SimpleTech drives were designed for basic plug-and-play storage needs. Some typical usage scenarios included:
- Backup – Storing extra copies of important files as a contingency against loss.
- Archiving – Saving old files that were no longer needed on a PC’s main internal drive.
- Media library storage – Storing large collections of photos, music, or video.
- Data transfer – Moving files between different devices or locations.
- External boot drive – Booting an operating system from the external drive instead of an internal drive.
While performance-intensive applications like video editing or gaming were better suited to higher speed drives, SimpleTech products worked well for mainstream data storage tasks.
Popular SimpleTech Drive Models
Over its history, SimpleTech produced many different external drive models catering to diverse storage needs. Several all-time popular models included:
SimpleTech 250GB Signature Mini Hard Drive
Released in 2005, this drive pairged 250GB of storage into a sleek, compact gray enclosure. Connection options included USB 2.0 and FireWire 400. Its stylish design and ample capacity made it a popular choice for both Mac and Windows users.
SimpleTech SimpleDrive Pininfarina 500GB
Launched in 2007, this model teamed SimpleTech with luxury automaker Pininfarina for a sharp, elegant look. SATA internals provided quicker performance than earlier IDE models. A built-in USB 2.0 hub expanded connectivity options.
SimpleTech [re]drive EarthDrive 500GB
Unveiled in 2008, this drive adopted a green focus with its use of recycled materials and energy-efficient operation. Distinctive design accents like a plantable seed paper inlay appealed to eco-conscious buyers.
These and other SimpleTech drives found strong demand with home and small business consumers looking for easy, reliable external storage.
Evolution and Eventual Decline
SimpleTech enjoyed steady growth for much of the 2000s based on its value-driven external storage offerings. The company was headquartered in Santa Ana, California and at its peak had over 400 employees and several hundred million in annual revenue.
However, the external hard drive market began to shift radically in the late 2000s with the rise of cloud storage and streaming media. Declining prices for internal hard drives also made external models less attractive on a value basis.
Facing shrinking sales, SimpleTech was acquired by memory chip maker STEC in 2009. STEC hoped to leverage SimpleTech’s distribution channels to break into the consumer storage market.
STEC discontinued the SimpleTech brand in 2011 as the external hard drive market continued to falter. The SimpleTech Inc. company was ultimately absorbed fully into STEC’s operations.
While no longer made today, SimpleTech drives filled an important niche in the 2000s for easy-to-use external storage. For many casual PC users at the time, SimpleTech was synonymous with external hard drives.
Buying Used or Refurbished SimpleTech Drives Today
While SimpleTech no longer exists as a drive manufacturer, many used and refurbished SimpleTech drives can still be found from online sellers and tech liquidators. For casual storage needs, these older model drives can sometimes be purchased very cheaply.
However, those looking to buy a secondhand SimpleTech drive should keep a few considerations in mind:
- Storage capacity on older drives seems modest by today’s standards. Even larger models often max out at around 500GB.
- Older external drives only support earlier interconnect standards like USB 2.0 and FireWire 400/800. Transfer speeds will be quite slow.
- Many SimpleTech drives have not been manufactured for 5-10 years or longer. Reliability may be a concern.
- It can be hard to find compatible cables and power adapters for obsolete external drive models.
While old SimpleTech drives come with limitations, they can still be a good option for light-duty storage needs or as a secondary backup. Just go in aware of slow performance and potential reliability risks due to the drive’s age.
Conclusion
In summary, SimpleTech external hard drives were a popular consumer storage brand in the early 2000s known for their plug-and-play usability and value pricing. Models often featured compact, streamlined designs with integrated cabling.
While SimpleTech drives have been discontinued for over a decade now, their legacy lives on as an example of how to make external storage practical for everyday people rather than just technical experts. In a market once dominated by complex, expensive drives, SimpleTech found success by appealing to mainstream users’ desire for simplicity, style, and affordability.